Rise of the Seraphs (REWORK)
by ID Zeta
Summary: The Seraphs: Mysterious beings only known through their crystals and weapons integrating some of their technology. They, like the Eridians, are long gone... or so the Universe thinks. A discovery by the Vault Hunters sets off a chain of events that leads to am ominous prophecy: The Seraphs will rise again. (This is a rework of my previous story. May change to Rated M later.)
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Borderlands franchise, nor anything related to it.

* * *

><p>Chapter 1<p>

_Some went so far as to call it a true civil war. As far as the Eridian Royal Council was concerned, it was nothing more than an act of defiance, the work of an egotist done through the hands of his supporters._

_None could deny, however, the absolute chaos that engulfed Pandora and Elpis on that day._

_At was almost as if a bubble of spacecraft surrounded the planet and its' moon, enclosing the carnage that raged below them. Huge flagships traded laser blasts while swarms of smaller fighters engaged in dogfights. Explosions lit up like fireworks, a dazzling display of utter destruction._

_There was a clear sign of dominance, however. Huge, dark-purple carriers easily outnumbered the slightly smaller pink-ish flagships. One side was certainly winning this battle. Unless a miracle happened soon for the losing faction, defeat was imminent._

_It was on Pandora's surface, however, that the decisive battle was being waged. Along an icy mountain pass, the two factions were locked in a stalemate. While the Eridian Guardians engaged the enemy's machines, soldiers exchanged laser fire from covered positions. On the plateau near the summit, two titans struggled to dominate the other. One resembled a gargantuan dragon, with six legs, a pair of odd wings, a hide of stone, and a cone-like tail. The other was a true abomination, a blob of tentacles and spikes with a single, glaring eye._

_From this eye, the abomination fired an intense beam of purple energy at the dragon. The dragon screeched in pain and retaliated with a torrent of fire. The abomination was gradually being pushed towards into huge Vault glyph. A portal spanned the interior of the giant arch, and purple energy ebbed and flowed across its' stony surface. Most of the abomination was already inside the portal, but its' tentacles held it firmly in place. They were gradually being severed by Eridian soldiers one-by-one._

_Eventually, the last tentacle was cleaved, and with a horrid shriek, the abomination was sucked into the portal. The portal quickly closed to prevent it from escaping, and the energy flowing along the Vault glyph ceased. It collapsed, its various segments landing with hard _thuds_ in various places on the plateau. The soldiers cried a cheer of triumph, and their huge dragon's roar carried for miles. The enemy forces were wiped out, at least in this area._

_A dropship, decorated with the Eridian Royal Insignia, swiftly descended upon the plateau. It hovered just above the ground, and with a flash of light, a slender Eridian materialized. The Royal Family's traditional colors, deep blue and silver, adorned in her ceremonial armor. Her flowing blue cape snapped in the cold wind. She approached the group of celebrating soldiers, and a heavily-armored Eridian, presumably the Commander, walked quickly to meet her._

_"Your Highness!" the Commander called out before bowing briefly before her. "I wasn't expecting your arrival."_

_"Excellent work, Commander," she greeted. She gazed upon the celebrating soldiers, who were too endulged with their own business to notice her arrival. "How many casualties?"_

_"Too many, My Queen," the Commander reported, shaking his head. "The Seraphs put up a bigger fight than we expected, given their limited resources. We weren't prepared for their fortifications." He straightened up. "But, Phase 1 worked. The Destroyer is sealed within the Vault. It won't be getting out any time soon."_

_The Eridian Queen nodded in acknowledgement. Her brilliant blue eyes traveled over to the huge dragon, which was currently staring at the flagships in the sky. "Seal the Warrior, like the rest of the weapons," she said as she turned. "Then we can begin Phase 2." The Commander bowed again as another flash of light engulfed the Queen. The dropship rose, then rocketed off into the sky. The Commander turned on his heel and gave orders to his soldiers._

_It would be a long trek to Mount Hellsfont._

* * *

><p>The Hyperion Corporation, it seemed, had turned over a new leaf. Who would've guessed that would happen after the death of its infamous dictator of a CEO?<p>

With Handsome Jack dead and his Warrior destroyed, the burden of running the Hyperion Corporation fell, naturally, onto Blake's shoulders. He had foreseen, but had not anticipated, that outcome, but he was prepared for it. He, like most of Hyperion's higher-ups, saw no purpose in focusing so intently on Pandora. Though the trade of Eridium had been outrageously profitable for the company, Handsome Jack's obsession with abusing the element had turned many of them away from it.

Blake introduced a flurry of changes within the Corporation soon after his promotion. The only Hyperion force that remained on Pandora was for maintenance and defensive purposes only. After all, Pandora was still a bandit-ridden wasteland of a planet, and those unfortunate enough to have to live there must be protected. The only remotely suspicious thing he had done was installing an array of satellites in the planet's upper atmosphere. Blake claimed they were strictly for security purposes, but the Vault Hunters were skeptical.

The Vault Hunters themselves faced a problem: With no more Vaults within easy reach, what was their next target? Of the planets highlighted by the Vault Key's internal map, only a few were within a reasonable distance for possible looting. Of course, the group didn't have a ship capable of interstellar travel, and even if they did, they hadn't firmly decided on a destination. It was a problem they kept in the back of their minds as they went about their day-to-day business.

Blake, in an effort to establish a good standing with the Crimson Raiders, frequently offered jobs for the Vault Hunters to do for him. They were rarely anything extraordinary. Usually, they involved clearing out a potentially problematic bandit camp or retrieving stolen Hyperion equipment. The Vault Hunters, though dubious, didn't complain; Blake paid handsomely, both in hard cash and in quality gear.

It was during one such seemingly-routine mission, however, that shattered the sense of normality that had fallen over Pandora. Chaos would return to the savage planet, but, then again, isn't chaos what Pandora is (in)famous for?

* * *

><p>[I have a small but urgent task for you,] Blake began his pre-recorded message, as he usually did. On the receiving end of his message, a Commando, a blue-haired Siren, and the Mechromancer listened intently to his slow drawl. [One of the satellites I sent into orbit around Pandora months ago has malfunctioned and, as such, crash-landed on a small island off the coast of the Highlands. I doubt the satellite will be salvageable, but I want you investigate the crash site. Retrieve the satellite's data bank and return it to me as soon as possible. The approximate coordinates of the crash site are included with this message.]<p>

"A fallen satellite, huh?" Gaige remarked, switching off the ECHO receiver in the Crimson Raider Headquarters. "Should be fun." She hopped out of her chair and strode towards the door.

"Only you would find something like this 'fun'," Axton quipped. Gaige gave him a knowing smirk. "I bet you just wanna see what you can salvage from it."

Gaige chuckled. "You know me too well, Ax," she grinned. "I also wanna see what exactly that satellite's been recording. Blake never told us why he sent those things into orbit in the first place."

"Judging from what he's willing to pay us," Maya said, "that data's valuable." Indeed, Blake offered to pay each of them a lofty sum for such a simple job. "If he's up to no good with those satellites, we need to know."

"Wouldn't be surprised if he was," Axton said, stretching his arms. "So, do we wanna wait for the others to get back, or head out now?" The other three Vault Hunters were busy dealing with the latest activity of a rising bandit leader.

"I imagine they'll be tied up for a while," Maya said, her hands on her hips. "The Prankster's an elusive guy, and if I know those three as well as I think I do, they won't be back until he's dead." She wasn't far from the truth when she said that.

"Besides," Gaige commented, "the debris field will probably be huge, even if the satellite remained intact during re-entry. It'll likely take us a while to find that data bank." The Mechromancer received a pair of looks from her companions.

"She'll probably explode if we don't go right this instant," Axton said, rolling his eyes. Gaige punched him in the arm playfully. "Let's get going, then." The trio quickly packed their supplies, grabbed their guns, and teleported to the Highlands via the Fast Travel station.

* * *

><p>The island that the satellite had crashed on was only a few miles long, so finding the crash site wasn't too difficult, especially because of the plume of smoke rising from it. The satellite had remarkably remained mostly intact, though it was severely damaged. Some of the trademark Hyperion yellow paint was still visible underneath the extensive scorch marks.<p>

It took almost half an hour of poking, prodding, and a bit of brute force to retrieve the data bank. The black metal box was still hot to the touch, but Gaige was confident that its' contents could be read. All she needed was the proper hardware to read it, which, if she didn't already have it, could be built within a few days.

Axton had watched Gaige as she made her way to the data bank, but Maya had wandered off. Something felt... _odd_... about this island. Mental tugs pulled her towards some unseen destination. She had felt something similar when the group stormed through Hero's Pass to confront Handsome Jack and face the wrath of his Warrior. She felt a similar, but much more faint, feeling from the Vault Key. Here, she heard whispers, like faint music in the wind, within her mind. She was certain that an Eridian relic was somewhere on this island.

The mental tugging and the whispers eventually led her to the middle of the island. The tall grass that covered most of the small island stopped growing in a large circle. Sand covered the barren ground in a thick layer. The whispers on Maya's mind told her that whatever she was seeking was underground, but there was no sign of anything on the surface.

"Maya?" Axton called out once the data bank had been retrieved. The Siren, however, didn't hear him; the whispers had drowned his voice out. It wasn't until he physically shook her that the voices vanished. "Hey, we've got the data bank," he said, looking intently at her. "Let's get out of here before it gets dark."

"No, not yet," Maya said, her voice barely above a whisper. She shook the Commando's grip off, and she slowly walked to the center of the sand circle.

"What?" Axton asked, taking a tentative step forward. "Why not? There's noth-"

"_Something _is here," the Siren interrupted him. Her eyes blazed with intent. "An Eridian artifact, or something similar. I can feel it. Whatever it is, it's underground." She dropped to her hands and knees and began to dig in the sand.

"You're serious, aren't you?" Axton asked, more to himself than to Maya. Whenever she got that look of determination, he knew better than to challenge her.

After thoroughly examining the debris of the satellite, Gaige went to see where Maya, and now Axton, had gone off to. When she saw the pair digging in the sand, she couldn't help but laugh, "_What _are you two doing?"

Axton shot her a glare. "Shut up and dig," he said blandly. The two stared at each other for several moments before Gaige finally shrugged. She summoned her robot companion, Deathtrap, and the pair began to dig in the sand as well.

* * *

><p>Author's Note: For those of you who have read my previous story with a very similar title, this story is, basically, a re-write. I wanted to start over, to integrate some different ideas into the story. Many of the key points in the later chapters of my previous story will remain, but the introductory material and plot points will be changed.<p>

I want to craft a better story this time around. I hope you enjoy. Feel free to comment on or critique what you see; both help me improve my writing, which means it'll be more enjoyable for you, the readers.

Until next chapter-

-ID Zeta


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the Borderlands franchise, nor anything related to it.

* * *

><p>Chapter 2<p>

_The Seraph base was a hive of activity. Soldiers moved to and fro, some carrying weapons and ammunition, others carrying crates and other items. Docked in the center of the base was a massive starship, a technological marvel, the pinnacle of Seraph research and development. Some of the soldiers were loading equipment into this ship. Judging from the fervid pace of the activity, it was as if the Seraphs were preparing for an evacuation._

_They were._

_From the starship's command bridge, a golden-armored Seraph general observed the preparations in contemplative silence. He watched as his men, such diligent supporters of his cause, scurried around the base. He was eternally grateful for their support; without them, he would be just another madman, spouting nonsense upon deaf ears._

_It was a shame that most of them would die in less than an hour._

_He heard the doors to the bridge hiss open behind him. He heard the urgent clack of boots against the metallic floor approaching him. He did not turn._

_"Hyperius, sir," the owner of the boots said. "Most of the equipment is loaded and secured. We're still waiting for the last few fighters to get back from their recon route." He paused, waiting for a response. When an immediate one was not given, he asked, "What are your next orders..?"_

_Hyperius sighed and shifted his gaze to his own boots. The recon team had been gone for far too long; they were likely shot down or captured. An unfortunate loss, but a loss that would have been inevitable. "Give them another thirty minutes," he said quietly. "If they have not returned by then, we leave without them." He raised his head back up. "The sooner we get this ship off the ground, the less likely the Queen and her Guard will catch us." He heard the soldier behind him bow, turn on his heel, and leave. Thirty minutes would be pushing his agenda, but it was the most he was willing to spare._

_An alarm sounded on the console in front of him. He tapped a button, and an audio feed opened. The sound of laser fire and explosions filtered through immediately. "Hyperius, sir!" an urgent voice reported. "The first line of defense has engaged the Queen's forces. They're hitting us with everything they've got!"_

_"As expected," Hyperius said calmly. "Hold them off as long as possible. Fall back to the second line when necessary." With that, he tapped the button again, and the feed closed. The Seraph's brow furrowed; the Queen's Guard had arrived sooner than he had planned. This wasn't a good sign._

_He wanted more time, but time was not on his side, not today. The bomb had already been activated, and his is memory served him any good, the timer had at least 45 minutes left on it._

_45 minutes. After that time, all this chaos would come to an abrupt end. In 45 minutes, a war would be won, a "rebellious" ideal would triumph over an iron-fisted, tyrannical regime._

_In 45 minutes, an entire race would be exterminated. They would feel no pain._

* * *

><p>The trio's digging eventually yielded unexpected results. A massive raised Vault symbol, spanning nearly the entire circle of sand, had been uncovered. The symbol's stark white color, slightly worn down from time and the elements, stood in contrast to the sand around it.<p>

"Was this what you were expecting to find?" Axton asked, his sand-covered hands on his hips. Whether he was underwhelmed or simply annoyed was hard to tell.

"No..." Maya answered blankly. Her mind was elsewhere, trying to feel where those mental tugs were coming from. Sure, they came from below her, but there was no visible means of getting there. There had to be a way; she simply had to figure out what that way was. Her face was scrunched up in a look of concentration. "No, this isn't it... It's further below, but _how_..."

"We've been digging here for over an _hour_," Gaige whined. She flopped down on the raised symbol. "If there was a way to get underground, we would've found it by now." She laid back with a sigh, her head hanging over the edge of the symbol.

Undeterred, Maya stepped up onto the outer ring of the Vault symbol. She scanned the huge white structure, as if searching for an answer to her question. There where few puzzles the Siren couldn't solve. She spent a lot of time on Athenas working on logic puzzles; they distracted her from the general misery of her time there.

_Maybe_, Maya eventually thought,_ what I'm looking for isn't on the symbol itself... but the negative space inside it._ With that thought in mind, the Siren turned her attention to the interior of the massive arch. While the trio had spent over an hour digging up the Vault symbol, they had only revealed the outline of the structure. Much of the sand covering the inside space was relatively untouched. "Yeah, that might be it..." she thought aloud.

Moving all the sand that remained would easily take another hour's worth of labor, but the Siren had another idea in mind. She stretched her left arm out, concentrating on the mass of sand. She visualized gathering it into a Phaselock sphere and moving it. Sure enough, a bubble materialized close to the surface. The sand swirled around it and was sucked inside of it. More and more sand got swept into the vortex, until nearly all of it was collected into a neat bubble of energy.

Axton gawked at her display, a mixture of amazement and sudden irritation fixed on his face. "Why couldn't you have done that a bit earlier?" the Commando asked, with more than a hint of his irritation in his voice.

With a flick of her wrist, Maya sent the bubble of energy and sand sailing to her left. She released it shortly after, causing the sand to pour out in a large plume. Much of it went over Axton's head, but a fair amount washed over him, covering him in sand. "Because I like seeing you suffer, Axton," the Siren answered, a smirk on her face. Gaige giggled at the display, but the Commando was not amused.

With the sand gone, Maya turned her attention back to the problem at hand. The revealed surface mirrored that of the raised Vault symbol: stark white and smooth. Centered under the arch was a grid, etched into the ground, four squares by four squares. Interesting, the Siren thought. She approached it and knelt down to examine it. She slid her hand over the square in the bottom left corner, feeling its smoothness. It depressed under her touch.

"Pressure plates?" Gaige guessed. Interested by the discovery, she had sat down to get a closer look herself. She pressed down on the square above Maya's, and it depressed as well. "Why would there be pressure plates? That seems... too primitive for the Eridians, don't you think?"

"It's a puzzle," Maya said, making the connection. "An added security measure to keep unwanted people out." She stood up and glanced at the entire grid, rubbing her chin slowly. "My guess is either all of these plates have to be pushed down at the same time, or there's a pattern they have to be pressed in."

"Pushing them all down seems like an easy place to start," Gaige chirped. Once Axton had cleaned most of the sand off his uniform, he helped the two go about pressing the plates down. It took a while to figure out just how to make it work, but once a method was found, they held the plates down for a few seconds. At first, nothing happened.

Then, the plates sunk a bit deeper into the ground, and the lines flashed with purple light. Lines appeared on the raised Vault symbol as well, and light-purple waves flowed across the smooth white surface. The entire slab of stone under the arch abruptly sunk slightly and began to slide. The trio scurried off the slab to witness what was about to happen.

The slab slid up under the arch, gradually revealing a tunnel underground. Pearly-white stairs led down into the dark abyss, spiraling to the right slightly. The slab clicked into place once it stopped moving.

"Guess that's our way down," Axton shrugged.

"If we're gonna go down there, we'd better get moving," Gaige said. "You know how Lilith gets when we stay out too long."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Axton groaned, shaking his head. He put a hand on Maya's shoulder. "Well, ladies first, eh?"

The Siren scoffed, "If that's the case,_ you_ should be first."

"Hey, this was _your_ idea!" the Commando countered.

"Alright, alright," Maya chuckled, throwing her hands up in mock defeat. With that, she turned back towards the stairs and took a careful step down, with her companions in tow. Slowly, step by step, the trio descended into the darkness below.

* * *

><p>AN: Well, well, well... A mysterious staircase leading into the abyss. What discoveries await our trio in the darkness? You'll find out soon enough. In case you haven't caught on yet, the italicized first portion of these chapters are flashbacks to the past. You've seen the imprisonment of the Destroyer; here, you see the beginning of the aftermath. These flashbacks will end in a chapter or two, but pay attention to them. They'll come into play later.  
>Feedback, as always, is encouraged and greatly appreciated.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own the Borderlands franchise or anything related to it.

* * *

><p>Chapter 3<p>

_It was evident that the Seraphs were prepared to make their last stand along that valley pass. Heavy fortifications lined the walls of the ravine, and the sheer look of determination in their eyes made one thing clear: these soldiers were willing to give their lives to protect their leader. Such dedication is rare indeed._

_They were, however, vastly outnumbered. What the Queen's Guard lacked in firepower, they compensated for in strategy and raw force. Focused offensive movements gradually pushed the Seraph defensive line further and further towards the base. With each foot taken, the Seraphs became even more determined to hold their ground._

_The Queen, overseeing the operation from her flagship, found their loyalty impressive, almost admirable._

_Far below the surface, 30 minutes ticked off on the bomb's timer._

_The Seraph's anti-air defenses made quick work of any fighters trying to provide air support, but one-by-one, a fighter would slip past and destroy them. Eventually, an order was given, and the Seraphs retreated around a bend in the valley. The Queen's Guard followed on their heels, but their progress ground to a halt when they encountered a massive energy shield. Twin generators scaled the valley walls on both sides. The shield absorbed their laser shots with ease, effectively rendering most of their weapons useless._

_"Your Highness, what do we do?" the Queen's battle strategist asked her on the flagship's bridge. Her brilliant blue eyes stood transfixed on the flickering pink wall of energy separating her forces from their objective._

_Her grip tightened on the golden staff she held in her right hand, a family heirloom and symbol of authority. "I will take care of it," the Queen answered, a hint of annoyance in her smooth voice. Before her strategist could protest, she blinked out of existence in a flash of scarlet light. She materialized on top of her flagship in a similar flash._

_She pointed her staff at one of the generators and closed her eyes. Tendrils of purple energy flowed down her arm onto the staff, then traveled to the large purple crystal fixed on the headpiece. It glowed brightly, humming with energy, and small bolts of purple electricity arced from it._

_The Queen opened her eyes, now glowing the same bright purple color, and fired a bolt of energy from her staff. It left a sparkling trail behind it as it traveled towards its target. The bolt pierced through the generator's tough exterior and exploded inside of it. The energy ripped the generator apart from the inside out. With its destruction, the energy field flickered and vanished. Both the Queen's Guard and the Seraphs opened fire once again, and the battle resumed as if it had never stopped._

_15 minutes ticked off on the clock._

* * *

><p>"Geez, how far down does this thing go?" Gaige whined, not for the first time. The light of day had long since left the trio; the darkness was pierced by a pair of flashlights and the soft blue glow of Maya's tattoos.<p>

"Just a little farther down," the Siren assured her, also not for the first time. Her voice seemed somwhat distant; her mind was seeking out the voices that lured her there in the first place. They had grown silent since the path was revealed.

"You've said that the past four times she's asked," Axton grunted. His grizzly voice echoed around the rather tight staircase, as all their voices and footsteps did. Maya struggled to drown them out.

"Seriously," Gaige groaned, "we've been walking down these stairs for what, five, ten minutes?" She sluggishly continued down, her boots making a particularly annoying amount of racket.

"Could you two _please_ keep it down?" Maya hissed sharply. "I'm trying to-" Her sentence, as did her movements, cut off abruptly. The twin flashlight beams revealed the cause; a flat surface sprawled under Maya's foot.

"_Finally!_" Gaige sighed in relief. "The bottom!" She jumped ahead of Maya, and a quick sweep of her flashlight confirmed her claim. The trio stood at the entrance of a chamber. "I wonder if there's any way to make this place brighter." Gaige's voice reverberated through the massive space. She went off into the darkness, guided only by her flashlight.

Axton started off towards the Mechromancer, and Maya followed suit. She had only taken a few steps, however, when a harsh pink light flicked on in front of her. The Siren shielded her eyes from the intense light, which seemed to be looking her over. In fact, it was looking _inside_ her, at her DNA, though she had no idea. After a few seconds of scanning, the light vanished as abruptly as it appeared.

Moments later, lines of light slowly appeared on the edges of the chamber. Gradually, the illuminated the entire chamber, and the trio got their first glimpse at how truly massive it was. It spanned nearly the same area as the streets of Sanctuary, with tables and consoles arranged in a grid and a circular pedestal in the center. The pearly white walls at first harmed the trio's eyesight. A large, black crest was revealed on the back wall.

"_Ho-ly crap_," Maya breathed in awe. She ran her hand along one of the flawless table tops. It was impossibly smooth, akin to silk. "If the Eridians built this, it's _amazing_."

"No kidding," Axton said. His eyes were turned up to the vaulted ceiling. It seemed to stretch needlessly high before the corners came together for form a dome shape. "What do you think this place _is_, exactly?"

"I have no idea," Maya replied absent-mindedly. She noticed tools on some of the tables. They seemed scattered haphazardly, as if whoever was working here had to leave in a hurry. She examined one, which resembled a scalpel. "If I were to guess, though, I'd say this is a lab of some kind."

Gaige had wandered onto the center pedestal while silently admiring the stark beauty of the chamber. Four rails partially enclosed it, which left gaps to come and go off of it. She ran her hand along one of the rails, and unconsciously pressed a small bump when she felt it. A holographic screen, outlined with pink light and filled with strange characters, flickered on shortly after. It was an alien language to the Mechromancer; she had no hopes of deciphering it.

"Hey, check this out," Gaige called out to her companions. Axton and Maya hopped onto the pedestal and examined the screen before them, their heads cocked in interest and confusion. "Any idea what it might mean?"

"Pretty sure none of us can read Eridian, Gaige," Axton said flatly, scratching the back of his head. "Unless you know someone we don't."

"Actually, _I_ do," Maya said. Gaige and Axton traded looks of confusion. "Tannis."

The Commando and the Mechromancer glared at Maya like she had two heads.

"Seriously?" Gaige asked skeptically. "Is there anything that woman _can't_ do?"

"Have a reasonable social interaction, for one," Axton offered. He received a smack on the head from Maya. "What? You know I'm right!"

"_Anyway_," Maya rolled her eyes, "if we can get her down here to look at this, maybe she could translate it. There's _gotta_ be something down here besides scattered tools, and I'm pretty sure we'll need her to find it."

"Alright, alright," Axton conceded, "but _you're_ gonna do the convincing on your own."

Maya glared at the Commando. "And you can't help me because..?"

Axton shrugged, a small, smug smirk on his face. "I just wanna see if it's even possible to get her to leave her little office."

* * *

><p>AN: I tried to inject a bit more humor into this chapter, mainly to keep the narrative at least somewhat interesting. Tell me what you think. The little flashback narrations in the beginning will end in at least 2 chapters, in case you were wondering.  
>As always, feedback is much appreciated.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own the Borderlands franchise, nor anything related to it.

* * *

><p>Chapter 4<p>

_"H-hyperius, sir!" a panicked voice called out over the communication feed. "The Queen's Guard just broke through the final defense barrier. They're pushing towards the base!"_

_The Seraph general's brow furrowed, his eyes closed once again, his arms folded closely in front of him. He silently switched off the feed. "That's our cue," he told himself quietly. By now, everything that needed loaded onto the starship was on board, and most of the personnel had gotten aboard as well. All that remained was one task, small, but nonetheless important._

_Hyperius tapped a few buttons on his console, which switched on the starship's intercom system. "If I could have one last moment of your attention," he began, his firm voice resounding through the ship. "I want to voice my eternal gratitude for each and every one of you. Without your dedication and loyalty, I – _WE – _would not be where we stand today. However, what we are about to do, the actions we are about to take, will force a tremendous burden upon all of our shoulders. It may even haunt you for the rest of your lives. As such, I am offering you one last chance. If you feel as though the burden may be too much to bare, if you have _any _second thoughts or hesitation, you may walk away. Your hands, your _conscience_, will be clean. There is no shame in walking away. If any of you wish to leave this ship, now is your only chance."_

_Silence followed his speech. He watched a video feed from outside his ship out of the corner of his eye. The hatch was sealed closed in preparation for take-off._

_It did not open. A relief, for the moment._

Very well, then_, Hyperius thought. He gave a string of orders to his crew. The Eridium generators flared to life in the engine section of the starship, diagnostics were checked once again, and the huge roof the base creaked open ever-so-slowly. The starship's engines roared, and the huge mass of metal floated off the ground. The array of landing gear retracted, and the ship climbed higher and higher, passing the opening in the roof and the surrounding rocky outcrops. Then, it began the ascent into the atmosphere._

_The Seraph's escape did not go unnoticed. One of the technicians in the Queen's flagship spotted the vessel in the distance and reported it. The Queen scowled, her tattoos flaring orange with rage. "They're escaping!" she hissed. She whirled around to her tactician. "Divert all air support to chase that ship down! NOW!"_

_The Seraphs had been within the Queen's grasp time and time again, yet they always managed to slip between her fingers. She had devoted far too much time, too many resources, too many soldiers, on what quickly became a wild skag chase. She was determined to catch them – or rather, _him – _this time._

_The Queen's attack ships veered away from the firefight in the ravine and went after their new target. If the pilots knew the distance between them was too great or that the target was climbing impossibly fast, they did not say. Orders were orders, and to disobey was to die._

_They knew that lesson well._

* * *

><p>If anyone could be considered an expert on the Eridian race, Tannis would hold that title. The enigmatic aliens had fascinated her to no end, and she desperately wanted to understand them. She searched for every scrap of information even remotely related to the Eridians and carefully compiled it in her office underneath Crimson Raider HQ.<p>

Tannis knew more about the Eridians than anyone. She had deciphered their language (mostly), which greatly helped in decrypting the few codexes she had found. Despite her knowledge, much of their culture remained a mystery. For example, just how powerful were the Eridians at their peak of power? How many planets had they explored? What had they contained within their scores of Vaults scattered across the galaxy?

Perhaps most cryptic of all, what happened to them? What event could cause a race so extraordinary, so powerful, so god-like as the Eridians to just... _vanish_?

It was this exact question that Tannis was considering at the moment. "There are, of course, any number of possibilities regarding the extinction of the Eridians," she rambled into her ECHO device. She frequently recorded her thought processes, so as to refer to them later if necessary. "For example, meteorite impacts, uncontrollable epidemics, invasion from foreign powers, and civil war are all common extinction events found in other species. I quickly ruled out the meteorite impact, as I assume the Eridians possessed technology capable of destroying one, should one have ventured too close. Furthermore, there are no sizable impact craters to support that theory. I also ruled out the epidemic theory, for the same reasons I just mentioned. From the Eridian records I've translated, there are no references to any diseases at all."

Tannis paused momentarily to take a sip of water from her nearby glass. "As for the invasion theory," she continued, "that possibility seems rather illogical. If the Eridians were invaded by some other alien power, I doubt they would have had much trouble disposing of the threat. This leaves just one other possibility: civil war. From what I've translated, there is little evidence to support the theory. There are, however, a few hints at unrest. It seems that shortly before the records end, the Eridians were highly militarized, much more so than they had ever been. Some internal force must have caused this rapid and dramatic rise to arms. What that internal force was, however, I've yet to uncover."

She paused once again, this time to briefly sort her notes. "I suppose, for the meantime," she sighed, "that the all-important question will remain un-"

"Hey, Tannis!" a voice called out. Its owner, the blue-haired Siren, stood in the doorway leading to Tannis' office.

The doctor whirled around to find the source of the voice. "Maya," Tannis said, her voice containing a mixture of surprise and irritation. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of something important?"

"Well, yeah," the Siren answered. She knew, and found out the hard way, that Tannis hated being interrupted during her monologues. "I think you'll like what I have to say, though."

"If it isn't something regarding the Eridians," Tannis said flatly while turning off her ECHO device, "then I'm not interested at the moment." She gathered her notes together and started putting them back into her file cabinet.

"Oh, it's Eridian," Maya assured her, "and it's _huge_. We – Axton, Gaige, and I – need your help with it."

Tannis froze for a moment. She put the last of her notes into the cabinet and slid the tray back. She turned to face Maya, arms crossed, and looked the Siren in the eyes. "I'm listening," the doctor said.

"Well," Maya began, "while doing a job for Blake, we uncovered this huge Vault symbol embedded in the ground." She continued with her story, explaining every detail, particularly about the Eridian laboratory.

Tannis absorbed what she heard for a moment, then asked, "So what do you need _my_ help for?"

"It's kinda hard to explain," Maya admitted. "We searched the entire place, but I _know_ something else is down there. I can _feel_ it. Gaige pushed something, which turned a screen on. It was filled with Eridian letters, which we can't read, obviously, but _you_ can. That's why I want your help." She paused before adding, "You can spend as much time down there as you want, and you can take whatever you want back here when you're done."

Tannis considered the offer carefully. Something about it seemed... _off_, but she knew she couldn't pass the opportunity up. "To be quite frank," the doctor said, "what you've told me seems almost too good to be true. However, I won't lie and say I'm not interested. I'll help you, on one condition."

Maya frowned slightly. "And that is..?"

"I don't want you to interrupt me when I'm recording," Tannis said sternly, putting her hands on her hips. "This is the third time this month, and needless to say, I'm annoyed. I can't concentrate with your constant interruptions."

Maya stifled a laugh. "Alright, deal."

"Fantastic," Tannis said, clapping her hands together. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have equipment to gather." With that, she went about rummaging through her office for her tools.

"Whenever you're ready, just meet me at the Fast Travel Station," Maya said as she exited.

Axton and Gaige were waiting by the pair of vending machines around the corner. When Maya strolled out, Gaige said, "And the verdict is..?"

"She's in," Maya answered simply. "To be honest, that was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I expected more resistance from her." Previous attempts to convince Tannis to help with other problems had yielded... less than pleasant results.

A few minutes later, Tannis arrived at the Fast Travel Station, a large backpack on her shoulders. The trio had to stifle their laughter; they had never seen Tannis with something like that before, and the image was just _off_ for someone like her. After regaining their composure, the group used the Fast Travel Station to teleport o the Highlands.

* * *

><p>AN: I'm not in love with this chapter. I think I could've done a better job bringing out Tannis' general quirkiness, but... I think it'll do. As always, feedback is much appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own the Borderlands franchise, nor anything related to it. Credit for all characters and locations, aside from those I design, goes to Gearbox.

* * *

><p>Chapter 5<p>

_Hyperius had to laugh; the Queen had sent her entire attack squadron after his ship. He knew – and she probably knew, too – that he was impossible to catch, especially because his ship had reached its peak velocity. She was desparate, but he didn't think she was _that_ desparate. This act made her look almost stupid._

_Still, he needed more distance, _much_ more distance. He knew he wouldn't make it out of the blast zone in time, even at his ship's incredible speed. He mentally kicked himself for waiting so long on the surface. If he wanted to escape the blast zone unscathed, Hyperius would have to Phasewalk his entire ship halfway across the solar system._

_It wouldn't have been the most taxing thing he'd ever done. It was a gamble he'd have to take._

_The Seraph general focused, centering his concentration on one thought: himself. The tattoos that adorned his arms began to glow with scarlet light. The same red hue spread across his body. He then shifted his focus to his ship. The red light spread downwards, flowing over the floor and eveloping everything it touched. Soon, the entire ship became wrapped in a scarlet glow. Hyperius shifted his attention once again, this time to somewhere far out in the solar system. The exact location didn't matter at the moment; it just had to be outside the bomb's blast radius. He picked a general area and envisioned the ship being at that location. His eyes snapped open and, with a groan, he willed the ship to that exact spot._

_The scarlet bubble of light flashed. In an instant, the Seraph starship warped millions of miles away, leaving only a ghostly red afterimage of itself where it had once been._

_Hyperius exhaled sharply, his contorted face returning roughly to normal. His tattoos faded to their natural pale color. He stumbled slightly, and he gripped the side of his console for support. He clutched the left side of his chest, above his heart. Pain pulsed through his body with every heartbeat. His breathing was ragged and harsh, and his vision was slightly fuzzy. He had anticipated those symptoms, but not to the extent to which they currently ravaged him._

_His attendants rushed to his side to make sure he was alright. Hyperius assured them that he was fine, that he'd return to normal shortly. He was telling them half the truth; he _would _recover, but not quickly. Phasewalking something so massive over such a distance is extremely taxing on the body, and he knew he wouldn't fully recuperate for a few days at the minimum._

_Hyperius regained some of his composure and brought up a star chart on his console. Judging from the map, his ship had materialized roughly within the orbit of a gas giant which, thankfully, was on the opposite end of the solar system. It was also safely outside the bomb's range._

_"We're safe," Hyperius told himself quietly. His gamble had paid off. "We're safe," he repeated to his crew, which erupted in cheers of success. The celebration was short-lived; the Seraph general quickly rattled off a series of orders to his navigators, telling them to change the ship's orbital path to match that of the gas giant. He wanted everything on the ship double-checked to ensure nothing had broken or went missing. His crew went about their tasks as dutifully as ever._

_Hyperius sat himself down in his captain's chair with a sigh. The pain in his chest had diminished to a dull throb, but it was still noticeable. He brought up a camera feed of Pandora from a station on Elpis. He never grew tired of gazing upon the beautiful planet he called home. Never again, however, would its surface appear to serene, so calm. He felt a twinge of regret in his heart. The thought of going back and disarming the bomb crossed his mind, but only for a second. He quickly shoved aside any second thoughts. He had started down this dark path; he was determined to see it through. There was no turning back, not after he had gotten so far._

_He waited silently, watching the video feed. He anticipated what would come next with mixed emotions._

* * *

><p>"Well, what do you think?" Maya asked Tannis as the group entered the massive chamber that was the Eridian laboratory. He voice echoed around the chamber, as if emphasizing its vastness and stark emptiness.<p>

Tannis was speechless. Her mouth hung slightly agape as she absorbed the sight before her. She regained her composure shortly after and cleared her throat before speaking. "I-I'm _amazed_ by this," she breathed, her awe evident in her voice. She ran her hand along one of the smooth lab tables. "Everything is so well preserved... It seems simply surreal." She set her backpack down and rummaged through it. From it, she produced a well-used notebook. She flipped open to a fresh page and began to furiously scribble down notes while mumbling to herself.

"Uh, what is she doing?" Gaige dared to ask, her head cocked to one side. "Shouldn't she be hel-" A sharp gesture from Tannis cut her off.

"Her usual thing," Maya answered quietly. The Siren had been with the doctor during some of her outings. This is a normal occurrence; Tannis had to note absolutely _everything_ about a discovery she made, which included running some... _unusual _tests. "She'll got done eventually. If I were you, I wouldn't interrupt her."

The doctor moved around the chamber at a fervid pace, scribbling her notes at an equally astonishing rate. It would be a miracle if she could decipher her own handwriting later. "Fascinating," Tannis repeatedly said. "Absolutely fascinating..."

"How long do ya think that's gonna take?" Axton asked, crossing his arms impatiently. "We don't have all day."

"No way to tell," Maya shrugged. At the moment, Tannis was smelling the tops of the tables. Her nose almost touched their flawless surfaces. After each table had been thoroughly smelled, she'd snort before jotting down more notes. Such was the scientific method of Doctor Patricia Tannis.

Her work was only interrupted when she arrived at the large crest which dominated the back wall of the chamber. It was an upside-down kite shape, with lines cutting two outer sections off and leaving a wide arrowhead shape in the middle. Unlike the creamy white walls, this crest was black. Nothing else in the chamber shared the color. Tannis gazed at the crest, her brow furrowed in thought. "I've seen this design before," she thought aloud while tapping her chin with her pen.

"You have?" Maya asked. She, unlike Axton and Gaige, had followed the doctor silently as she went about her business, observing her work.

Tannis jumped slightly at the sound of another voice. She whirled around to see the Siren standing behind her. "Oh, you're still here," she commented, her voice carrying a mixture of surprise and disappointment. She cleared her thought before saying, "Yes, I said I have. I found it while decoding one of the Eridian manuscripts we found a few months ago. I've yet to finish decoding the entire thing, mind you, but from what I've translated, it seems as though this crest is associated with whatever caused the Eridians to go extinct. That's what I've deduced, anyway." While she spoke, she drew a rough sketch of the crest in her notebook, along with a comment or two.

Tannis paused abruptly, and her face contorted with intense thought. "Oh, what was that name again?" she groaned. It sounded much like a plea.

"The name of what?" Maya quizzed.

"What it Sai-? Seph-? Sem-?" the doctor said, ignoring the Siren's question completely. Eventually, she sighed in defeat. "A better question would be why I can't seem to remember the name at the moment," she huffed, regaining her composure and turning to face Maya. "Alright, I've done my preliminary assessment. Show me where you need my help."

Maya gestured to the center platform. "It's over here," she said as the pair approached it. As they stepped onto the platform, Axton elbowed Gaige, who had almost nodded off into sleep. She came to with a slight yelp. When she noticed Maya and Tannis had arrived, she searched for the switch on the rail and pushed it when she felt it.

The holographic screens flickered to life just as they had before. Tannis gawked at the sight and began to take notes at a furious pace. After finishing, she examined to block of characters that filled the screen before her. She frowned slightly.

"What's the problem?" Gaige asked while yawning. They day's travelling, along with other personal habits, left her tired. "I thought you could read Eridian."

"I can," Tannis grunted, her annoyance evident but repressed. "I simply had not expected this much to translate." Her eyes skimmed over the characters, her brow furrowed in concentration. After a minute or two of reading, she touched one of the holographic boxes at the bottom of the screen. A faint tone sounded, and a new screen of characters appeared.

"What did that previous screen say?" Maya quizzed. Tannis' speed at reading Eridian impressed her.

"It was a welcome message," Tannis shrugged, her concentration focused on the new characters. "I read the first line or two, then skipped the rest."

Maya blinked. "Why would you-"

"Shush!" Tannis snapped as she almost smacked Maya with a gesture. The doctor read, then re-read some of the lines before her. Her hand hovered over one of the boxes underneath the text, and after making doubly sure her translation was correct, she touched it.

Like before, another block of text replaced the previous one. This block, however, had smaller characters. Tannis' reading rate rose to an almost panicked pace, as if something within the text scared her eyes. "What..?" she breathed. "Why would..?"

"'Why would' what?" Maya asked, her concern evident. Tannis offered no answer; instead, she touched the box at the bottom of the screen, and after a few moments, the screen vanished.

"What'd you do?" Axton grunted, clearly impatient. Again, Tannis said nothing. Axton groaned and reached out to grab the doctor's shoulder, but before he reached her, his hand froze.

A sharp _clack_ and a jerk of the platform startled the group of four. The center of the platform retracted into the outer section, revealing a hole. The group scurried off the platform before the entire thing, save the rails, opened up into an abyss. Then, a new platform rose out of the newly-formed pit.

On the platform was a pedestal, and on the pedestal was something that resembled a massive sea urchin. It was a sphere, easily two feet in diameter, with dozens of spines jutting out at all angles. It was a deep, shiny purple, and the spines were a sinister black. The platform clicked into place, and the holographic screen reappeared on one of the rails. A small block of text adorned it, accompanied by a box.

"What the _hell_ is that?" Axton dared to ask. Lines on the spiky sphere pulsed pink, much like a heartbeat.

"_That_," Tannis finally said, her tone surprisingly even, "is a bomb."

* * *

><p>AN: Another chapter, another mixed reaction. I apologize if these last few chapters have been particularly boring; I guess I'm trying to hurry to the main events. Things will be getting more interesting soon enough, I promise. As always, feedback is much appreciated.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own the Borderlands franchise, nor anything related to it.

* * *

><p>Chapter 6<p>

_Soon after Hyperius began his warpath against the Eridians, he came to realize an important – and tragic – fact. In order to truly defeat the old regime, all remnants of it must be destroyed. That included everyone who lived during the old regime's reign. Hyperius' plan called for outright genocide, but he believed so strongly in his ideals that genocide was something he could bear._

_The weapon he designed to fulfill that task had a beautifully simple concept: Eradicate Eridians, leave everything else intact. He first considered a bio-weapon, but multiple failures at creating a supervirus made his dismiss the idea. What the Seraph general eventually thought up was an ambitious piece of weaponry, even for Eridian standards. It would become one of his masterpieces of destruction._

_The weapon he designed was, fundamentally, a heavily-modified pulse emitter and receiver. Upon activation, it would release powerful pulses of energy that could travel over huge distances. The extraordinary thing about it was that the weapon could be calibrated to target specific things, ranging from organic life in general to a specific species. It took many years and a few lives to develop, but it had not been tested in full-scale._

_It became, essentially, a glorified bomb. Because it didn't annihilate itself upon detonation, it could be reused, which was one of its many perks. It fired a continuous series of pulses after being activated. The first pulse identified where the targets specified in the calibration are; the next, much stronger pulses completely destroyed those targets. The only catch with it was that it took a _massive_ amount of energy to detonate. For this reason, a Seraph crystal fuel cell was developed, which could supply that energy when needed for a while._

_Hyperius hid the weapon in one of his old laboratories far underground. It was far away from his main base of operations, so no one would suspect a thing. There were some quirks with the weapon, but Hyperius was confident enough to play it as his trump card, his final gamble._

_His eyes were glued to the video feed before him. His mental countdown had reached ten seconds. He subconsciously gripped the armrests of his chair tighter and tighter. _This has to work,_ he thought. _If it fails, all of this will be for nothing.

_Five seconds._

_Four._

_Three._

_Two._

_One._

_Zero._

_At first, nothing happened. Then, a faint bubble of light flashed out from the edge of Pandora, then collapsed back in. About a second later, another flash, brighter and slower, washed over the planet. From Hyperius' perspective, it was appallingly silent, like the ghost of Death itself. He could almost hear the terrified screams of his brethren on Pandora. Most of them were innocent civilians, bystanders who didn't concern themselves with the affairs of warring factions._

_A single tear rolled down the Seraph general's cheek. "It is done," he said, his voice hollow._

_The bridge of the Seraph starship feel eerily silent. There was no cheering, no celebration. Hyperius' crew had undoubtedly watched the same scene unfold before their eyes. They knew the plan. They knew what they signed up for. They, too, sat in silence. Some of their mouths hung slightly agape, but all of their eyes were transfixed on whatever screens were in front of them._

_"My brethren," Hyperius spoke over the intercom. He did his best to fill in the void of emotion he felt. "The deed... has been done. All of our hard work has finally yielded a reward. Our great struggle is over at last. The tyranny of the Eridian Monarchy is over. The age of the Seraphs... has begun._

_"Now, we must begin the process of rebuilding what has been lost." The Seraph general's voice became slightly more passionate, empowering. "We must repopulate. That is why I equipped this vessel with incubation chambers. We will give rise to the next generation. We will teach it, shape it, and empower it to carry out our mission, as all of you have done so far. When the time is right, we will return to our home and rebuild our great civilization... as it should be."_

_Hyperius heaved a sigh and slumped back into the captain's chair. It took more effort that he thought to sound motivational considering the emotions he felt. His brow was furrowed slightly. His life's work, his dream, had finally been realized._

_So why did he feel so... empty?_

* * *

><p>"<em>That<em>," Tannis finally said, her tone surprisingly even, "is a bomb."

All three of the Vault Hunter's heads snapped to face the doctor. "_What?!_" they shouted in chorus, bewilderment plastered on their faces.

"Why the _hell_ did you bring out a freaking _bomb_?!" Gaige hollered, waving her hands. "What if it's still armed?!"

"I-I-" Tannis stuttered. She paused, regained some of her composure, and started again. "My curiosity got the better of me," she said as evenly as she could. "I wanted to see what it was. You all know how fascinated I am with Eridian technology."

"That doesn't solve the second problem," Axton grunted, his face contorted in frustration. "What _if_ this thing is armed? What if it decides to go off?"

Tannis approached the spiky bomb and examined the screen off to the side. "Judging from this," she said after a moment, "there is nothing to worry about."

"What makes you say that?" Gaige asked apprehensively.

"This screen is asking for several inputs," Tannis explained, her attention still on the screen. "It appears this device must be calibrated and set to detonate with a timer. Even then..." she trailed off as she read more of the characters. "Even then, it would still not work. It seems the power supply is drained."

Maya cocked her head in confusion. "Then why is it pulsating?" she asked.

Tannis shrugged. "There is _some_ power remaining, but not enough to trigger a detonation." The doctor crossed her arms. "I wonder..."

"Why do I hate it when she says that?" Axton groaned quietly as he rubbed his bridge of his nose.

Tannis eyed the screen for a moment, then the bomb. She mumbled something to herself, but the Vault Hunters didn't hear it. The doctor tapped one of the boxes on the screen, and the pulsing abruptly stopped. Then, panels on the front of the bomb slid outwards, revealing a shining pink crystal suspended by a series of rods. The crystal was shaped like a polyhedron, and it was about the size of a basketball. All four sets of eyes looking upon it widened.

"Is that the power core?" Gaige breathed. "It's... _beautiful_." The shining light died down gradually.

"It is," Tannis affirmed. She was equally enthralled with the crystal. "I've never seen anything quite like it." She reached towards it, but an oppressive heat made her quickly withdraw. "It's _very_ hot."

"I can tell," Maya mused, noticing the distortion of her view from the rising hot air. She could feel the energy radiating off it the crystal, and not just the heat. She could feel much, much more. She shuttered slightly. "Even drained, it's still highly energized."

The remark finally drew Tannis' attention away from the crystal. "How can you tell?" she blinked.

"I-I don't know," Maya said, a look of confusion settling on her face. The energy from this crystal felt very similar to that of the Vault Key, except impossibly greater. The Siren was somewhat surprised that the crystal hadn't shattered under the emense amount of energy it contained. "I can feel the energy coming off of it. It's... it's _huge_."

"How much energy are we talking here?" Axton dared to ask.

Maya shrugged. "My best guess... Enough to wipe an entire city off the map. And then some."

If the others weren't in awe yet, they certainly were now. "You're kidding..." Gaige said.

"No, I'm not," Maya said, shaking her head. "And that's the scary part." The Siren approached the spiky sphere and eyed the crystal within it more closely. "If this thing has that much power when it's _drained..._" She didn't need to finish her sentence; her point was made.

"...So what're we gonna do about it?" Axton asked after an eerie moment of silence. "We obviously can't leave this thing here. Who knows who could find it after us."

"I don't think we can take this bomb with us, either," Tannis said. "It appears the bomb is anchored to the pedestal." She gave it a slight push, and the spiky sphere remained put.

"Then we remove the core," Axton said slightly impatiently. "If it can't work without the core, then we take it."

"Yeah? And put it _where_, exactly?" Gaige countered. "If that core's even remotely as energized as Maya says it is, it'll melt though any container we put it in."

While the Commando and the Mechromancer argued, Maya's attention was focused on the crystal. The mental tugs she had felt before were now strong pulls. It was as if they were talking to her, telling her things about the crystal. They told her it was dangerous, far too dangerous to keep around.

They told her it had to be destroyed. Maya listened to them.

As if in a trance, Maya's arm slowly rose out in front of her. She cupped her hand and her Siren tattoos shined, though they shimmered a more purple hue than normal. Her eyes glowed the same unusual color. The familiar Phaselock bubble of energy formed in her hand, as well as around the crystal itself. She drew her hand towards herself, and in doing so, she pulled at the crystal. With a sharp _snap_, the crystal freed itself from the rods around it. She pulled the crystal closer, until it was almost arm's length away from her face. Even from that distance, she could feel the heat radiating off of it. It felt... gentle, like the warm flames of a fireplace. She held it there for a few moments, and the core dimmed as she did.

The snapping sound caught the attention of the others. They all exchanged uneasy glances at the sight before them. They all thought the same thing: _What is she doing?_

"Maya?" Axton tried to get the Siren's attention. Little did he know that her ears were filled with shouts, all demanding the destruction of the crystalline power core.

"Maya," Axton said as he stepped forward, this time more firmly. He received no response.

With a growl, the Commando marched over and grabbed the Siren by the shoulder. "Maya!" he demanded, getting dangerously close to her face. The grab broke whatever spell had befallen Maya, and she yelped in surprise at how close Axton had gotten. The Phaselock bubble vanished, and the crystal clattered to the floor.

"Wha..." Maya seemed dazed, almost sleepy. "What happened..?" She looked at her hand in confusion, then at the faintly-glowing crystal. Her brow furrowed slightly. "Did I... move that?" she asked.

"Yeah, you did," Axton said evenly. "You don't remember doing that?"

"No..." Maya shook her head lazily. "No, not at all..." She gazed at the back of her hand, watching shades of blue and purple swirl around in her Siren tattoos. She felt exhausted, yet the entire left side of her body felt tingly and hot, particularly around her markings.

A look of concern settled on Axton's face, but he remained quiet.

"Well, there _is_ some good news," Tannis chirped, her tone slightly too cheerful for the moment. "The power core is not nearly as hot anymore." As if to prove her point, she clutched it with both hands. It still felt warm to the touch, like a stone left out in the Sun.

"Well, I guess that takes care of some problems," Gaige shrugged. She offered a hand out to Tannis. "I can take the core. From the looks of things, Maya shouldn't be down here much longer."

"Gaige's right," Axton agreed. "We should get her back to Sanctuary. She looks like she needs some rest."

"I'm fine, honestly," Maya protested, but she didn't object when Axton picked her up.

"This isn't a discussion, Maya," Axton said, a smirk on his face. Maya wanted to argue, but she felt too drained to offer any more protests. Tannis handed Gaige the crystal power core, and the Vault Hunters began the long ascent back to the surface.

* * *

><p>AN: Hey, look at that. Another chapter posted in a timely fashion. Motivation be praised.

I felt a need to post this chapter as soon as I could because I felt the questions I left at the end of the previous chapter needed answered. Thus, I provide some of the answers. The main plot starts to kick in next chapter, so stay tuned.


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